Push
by Soulreciever
Summary: Hisoka is given a tempoary partner while Tsuzuki recovers from the injuries he received during the Kyoto incident. Mixed characterisation. Potential slash. Angst. Techincal AU
1. Re Assignment

1. Re-assignment.

T: This is a case fic and thus it's going to be a little slow burning plot wise, you can also expect…a little bit of both manga and anime characterisations, random Kyoto spoilers, angst, potential slash, slight OC moments and the potential for slow updates further down the line! I own nothing you see here other than the plot bunny.

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"Kurosaki-kun, may I have a word?" The Division sectary's voice has been dropped to a whisper in deference of the other occupant of the room and is edged in something that raises the hairs on the back of his neck.

Setting down his paperwork he responds, "of course," his voice also little more than a whisper. It is a caution that proves all but useless for, the instant that he begins to move a bandaged hand is reaching out for him and his empathy is being prodded with a sleepy curiosity.

"Tatsumi-san wishes a moment of my time, most likely to discuss budget forecasts or something equally as dull." He explains as he gently loosens the other's grip upon him.

"Okay. Bring me back a cookie." The other responds before turning over in his bed and falling back to sleep.

Thus 'freed' he crosses the space between Tatsumi and himself, allows the other to usher him into the hallway and waits, patiently, for the sectary to close the infirmary door before enquiring,

"How can I be of help, Tatsumi-san?"

"A case has appeared that requires your 'unique gift' Kurosaki-san and, after much discussion, a decision has been made to temporally re-assign you." There is the hint of an apology in the other's voice and, comprehending that these are 'orders from above', he pushes away the anger that this choice has invoked within him and says, "Of course, thank you for coming to tell me," before politely excusing himself.

He spends five minutes walking around the Bureau gardens, calming his emotions and thinking of the best way to approach Tsuzuki with this news. Once he feels 'ready' he returns to the infirmary, making sure to drop into the staff canteen and secure a cookie on the way. Kakyouin

Feeling nauseous he opens the doorway and is greeted with the sight of Kakyouin Tsubaki maintaining a quite vigal over Tsuzuki's still slumbering form.

A week after the Queen Camelia had sunk Kanoe had called him into his office and informed him of Tsubaki's instatement as a Shinigami. Guilt still thick in his mind he'd thanked the other for the news, left the office and pushed the information to the very back of his mind.

Presented with the undeniable fact of her 'existence', with the noisy discord of the emmotions (his as well as her own) that echoes in his mind, he is able only to say,

"I am sorry."

She smiles at the words, the expresion banishing the shadows that had, until that moment, been about her face and responds,

"Myself also."

The honesty is unexpected and, understanding well the intent behind it he thanks her before remarking,

"It is good to see you again."

"Yourself also." She says before remarking, "I only wish that I had been brave enough to come to you without an alteriour motive," an appology clear in her voice.

Rather than make her feel the worse for her cowerdess or question why she felt such a thing to begin with, he instead enquires,

"Are you not assigned to the Chinese division?"

"Not any longer, no." She responds, before informing him, "My achievements in the field have gained me rather a reputation and, when my partner assended last week, I was asked if I might wish to transfer over to the Japanese division."

"An offer that you clearly accepted."

"Yes, but only after I was informed of what my first assignment was to be." There is a hint of faint embaressement edging her emmotions now and, curious, he enquires,

"What is your first assignment?"

"Kanoe-san told me that you would be able to breif me." The words confirm the suspicion that had been forming in his mind and, raking a hand through his hair, he says,

"I was so angry about being re-assigned that I didn't give Tatsumi-san time to tell me who my new partner was to be, let alone detail me on the case we were to undertake."

"Shall I go and get the information now then?"

"Yes, thank you, Tsubaki."

"Don't mention it." She responds before gaining her fet and heading for the door.

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T: Thus chapter one is out of the way. Number two should be up on Fri, until then why not review?


	2. Truths

2. Truths.

T: Warnings and disclaimers remain as they were for the first chapter.

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He settles back into the chair at Tsuzuki's side and, cookie gripped securely in his left hand, he uses his right to gently nudge the other into waking.

Only once Tsuzuki is awake and has focused all of his attention onto the admiration and consumption of his biscuity treat does he say,

"I've been re-assigned."

For the briefest minute he believes that the other has not heard him and he is just about to repeat the statement when Tsuzuki says,

"I suppose it was inevitable." Both his emotions and his tone of voice containing nothing more than genial acceptance.

He feels oddly put out by this reaction and it takes all his strength of will to keep this from his voice as he informs the other,

"Tsubaki is to be my partner."

"Then you shall finally have the chance to offer her your apologies…to lease yourself of the senseless guilt you feel for her passing." He is smiling now and his emotions are full of the warm kindness that makes him who he is. He knows that he should feel eased by this, that such a selfless responds to a difficult situation is typical of his partner and yet…

Looking at that bright smile and listening to the other as he begins to burble, almost senselessly, about how he intends to spend his afternoon, he can not help but feel angry...is caught in the irrational desire to catch the other's collar and enquire, _"Don't you care about me even just a little bit?" _

He understands well the rout of this frustration, understands the foolish and somewhat desperate hope that the terror of Kyoto has inspired within him. He also understands how little basis that hope had had, understands how very naive it had been to believe that he mattered more to Tsuzuki than any other.

Thus, rather that submit to the fire of his anger he simply remarks, "I'd best be going," gains his feet and with a promise to check in on the other that he may, or may not, honour, makes his way out of the infirmary.

………………………………………………………………………………

He finds Tsubaki sat at his desk, her attention fixed onto a thick pile of paperwork. Stealing Tsuzuki's chair from the elder Shinigami's desk he places the thing across from his new partner and, once seated, he enquires,

"What are we dealing with then?"

Her eyes fix onto his and he is met with a wave of curiosity, to which he responds with a gruff,

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Ok, but if you change your mind…" she leaves the offer hanging and, spinning the paperwork in order that he might also be able to see it, she says,

"The incidents we are investigating have all occurred in broad daylight, in busy locations and have all involved women in their early thirties. In each occurrence the victim bares no external signs of trauma and yet, on further investigation, each has proven to have an internal organ missing. Each victim has died before their names have appeared on the Kiseki, their souls habhe also not appeared in the Mefu."

Flicking his way though the various reports on the vicitms one clear fact becomes swiftly obvious to him and, glancing up at his partner, he remarks,

"There's no link."

"That's right. Other than the oddityu of their injuries and the fact that their souls have gone missing, none of these women have anything in common. Kanoe-san has asked that we invesitage each murder individually and that, using our 'unique skills' attempt to not only find the common thread but also to stop the person responsible for these killings."

There is a particular stress both in her voice and her emmotibe pattern that he recognises well and, bitterness thick in his voice, he enquires,

"Kanoe-san suspects that Muraki is at the heart of this, doesn't he?"

"He is the top suspect, yes."

Pushing the ntoes back in her direction he focuses his attention ont her compleetly and, understanding well what the consiquences might be, he enquires,

"What would you do if that proved to be the case?"

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T: Next chapter on Monday. Review?


	3. Ghosts

3. Ghosts.

T: Warnings and disclaimers remain the same as in the first chapter.

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"Tanaki-san, my name is Satomi Keiko…" Tanaki Hana, an elderly woman with a slight limp and a lazy left eye, smiles a fragile smile and interrupts her introduction by enquiring,

"You're from Outreach, correct?"

"That's correct. Might I ask why you sought out someone with my gift?" Tanaki-san looks confused at the enquiry and, fixing a smile onto her lips, she says, "I find it best to hear about the details of my 'case' from the client rather than my superior."

"In order that you've more of a personal connection with the departed soul that you're trying to contact?" There is a desperate hope clear in the elderly woman's voice and she suddenly feels beyond lousy for doing what she is doing. There is, unfortunately, no other way and, biting down on her guilt she responds,

"That's correct."

"You'd best come in then." Tanaki-san remarks as she steps to one side and usurers her into the house.

Once she has settled down onto the tatami lined floor of the small space that Tanaki-san calls home the elderly woman takes a deep breath and, her eyes falling closed, she says,

"I'm doing this because I want answers."

"What sort of answers, Tanaki-san?"

"It's a long story."

"I'm in no rush." Tanaki-san's smile becomes a little surer then and, after a moment of silence, she says,

""My daughter, Miya, was everything that a mother could want from her child. Always taking time to help me with my chores and just simply to talk. We'd grown so close after her father died last year…more like best friends than mother and child…" Tears have begun to form in her eyes and, pausing to wipe them away, she says, "She'd phoned to tell me that she'd be back a little later than she thought and I was teasing her about ditching me to see her boyfriend when the line went dead. An hour later the police were on the doorstep telling me that she'd been killed."

"Then you wish to know what happened to her that evening?"

"I would also like to say goodbye."

"I'll see what I can do." Guilt heavy still in her mind she falls into a exaggerated parody of a clairvoyant and, after a few moments, enquires,

"Might I be able to have something that belonged to her?"

"Of course." Tanaki-san extricates a well used handkerchief from her obi and, passing it over, says, "Her boyfriend gave her this after they'd been together for a year and it has the most prized of her possessions."

She stares at the thing for a dew moments and then says,

"Your daughter has no want for you to hear about the terrible thing she endured at that time. She wishes only for you to be happy and for you to think of her always with a smile on your lips. She says that there is no need for goodbyes…that a part of her will be with you always."

The words are empty things and yet Tanaki-san begins to weep for the sound of them. She allows the woman the chance to let a little of her grief go and then, passing the handkerchief back into the woman's care she says,

"I'll allow you your space now, Tanaki-san."

She has just stepped back onto the street when the old woman calls after her and, turning, she enquires,

"Is there something else, Tanaki-san?"

"I want you to have this." She remarks as she passes the handkerchief back into hands. "As thanks for what you have done for me today."

This, of course, had been the objective behind her visit and her cruel charade and thus the smile that graces her lips as she responds, "Thank you, Tanaki-san," is sincere despite the discomfort she feels still for using the woman's desperation to her own ends.

…………………………………………………………………………….

"Come in."

Tsubaki wordlessly steps into his hotel room, crosses the distance between them, presses a worn handkerchief into his care and then slumps, boneless, against the side of his bed.

"Perhaps it would be better if I went to talk to the next person on the list."

"It's too risky."

"I don't need babying, Tsubaki."

"I know, but there are too many intense emotions involved here, Hisoka. Emotions that might well overwhelm you if you came into direct contact with them." Running a hand through her hair she flashes him a small, yet sincere, smile and says, "I'll be alright in a moment."

No matter how little he believes that statement no how guilty he feels for being unable to share the burdens of this case, he knows that she is correct. Know that, because of the nature of his 'gift', he not able to do anything other than chase paper trails while Tsubaki does the 'grunt' work.

Pushing away the black mood this realisation sparks in his heart he grips the tighter to the handkerchief and allows his empathy to take control of his senses.

_It'd been sweet of him to give her such a gift and always when she used it she was reminded of that kindness. Was reminded that every inch of the gentle, passionate and stubborn Takashi Seiko belonged to her._

_He'd called a few minutes previously and asked if she might come and see him, some unknown stress in his voice that'd speed her pulse and placed butterfly's in her stomach._

_She'd no want for her mother to worry and so she'd ruing to tell her that she'd be late, the excitement leaking through her voice enough that her mother had enquired,_

"_You're not ditching me to see Takashi-san are you?" She knew that her mother approved of her relationship with Seiko and, smiling she'd responded, _

"_You're not teasing me are you, kasan?"_

_Her mother had laughed and then the world had turned white. _

As he comes back to 'himself' he can feel Tanaki Miya's intense confusion and all consuming fear as though it is his own and, placing the handkerchief at arm's reach, he says,

"She didn't feel threatened nor was under any form of stress that might indicate that she had been being followed. As far as she was concerned it was a perfectly normal day."

"That was also the impression that I got from her mother." Tsubaki replies before enquiring, "Were you able to 'touch' her soul?"

"Yes, but not for long enough to determine anything other than the fact that it's lost."

"In other words we've learned nothing new from this at all."

"That's not necessarily true. We know now that the killer doesn't obviously stalk his victims, that he strikes swiftly and without pain. We've also got another line of enquiry to follow."

"Which is?"

"Tanaki-san's boyfriend…it's possible that she discussed matters with him that she thought 'inappropriate' to discuss with her mother. He'd also arranged to meet up with her but moments before her death."

"Something you feel is significant?"

"Perhaps...the only way to be certain is to discuss the matter with him."

For a moment he believes she will object to the inclusion of himself in this plan but, perhaps seeing the determination in his face, says,

"It something, I suppose."

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T: Please feel free to ask questions, though I may not answer them if I feel it'll spoil things! Next chapter Friday, until then Review??


	4. Contemplation

4. Contemplation.

T: Warnings and disclaimers remain the same.

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"_I've been re-assigned."_ The words had been uttered in his partner's typical dead pan tone and he'd been unable to do anything other than respond, _"I suppose it was inevitable,"_ Taking deliberate care to sound and feel as though he means the words from the very bottom of his heart.

His partner's brow furrows and, for the briefest instant, he had believed that he had been caught, that Hisoka would push him and would force him to talk the matter through. Then Hisoka informed him, _"Tsubaki is to be my partner,"_ and all thought of discovery, of finding a rational solution to the terrible situation, had fallen away.

Suddenly all he could concentrate on was the terrible thought that the other was abandoning him, that despite all that they had gone through in Kyoto, Hisoka had no more want top be a part of his life and the darkness within it.

Though it hurt to even contemplate such a thing he had forced himself to respond, _"Then you shall finally have the chance to offer her your apologies…to lease yourself of the senseless guilt you feel for her passing" _all the while smiling for the thought that Hisoka would be happy…that there would, at last, be someone in his life who would be able to understand him heart and soul.

He had expected some form of response from the other and thus, when one is not forth coming, he begins to babble nonsensically in order to fill the silence and dissipate the slight tension clear in the creases at the edges of Hisoka's eyes.

Predictably Hisoka had responded to this 'idiocy' by vacating the room, pausing only to make a half hearted promise to 'check up' on him and to bid a gruff farewell.

He'd sat idle in the bed for a few minutes toying with what remained of the cookies that Hisoka had given him, flicking through the paperwork that the other had abandoned at the foot of his bed and making shapes out of the cracks on the ceiling.

Once it'd become clear that his mind would not be so easily distracted he'd gently extricated himself from the bed, secured his coat from the hook on the door, then gone for a gentle walk about the gardens.

The ache from his atrophied muscles as well as the sharp agony from the patches of flesh healing still from the flames, soon grows more than he can cope with and, after but two minutes of walking, he is forced to take a rest.

Out of breath, his mind clouded with pain and the bitter edge of misery, he begins to dwell again on the darkness of Kyoto.

On the words Hisoka had spoken to him and whether the other had spoken them in earnest.

"Tsuzuki?" There is the faintest stress to Watari's voice that adds the enquiry of 'are you alright?' and, turning to face the other, he smiles a bright 'everything's fine' smile.

"I know that I shouldn't be out of bed yet but I needed to get some air."

"You understand how silly it was to push your body before it was ready, right?"

"Right."

"You also understand that you're totally on your own when Bon hears about this, right?"

He should, of course, laugh the matter off, respond to the positive and allow the scientist to help him back to his bed. Yet the oh so casual reference to his partner hits him harder than it should and, turning his head a little from his companion, he falls into himself.

Predictably, but an instant later, Watari's hand is on his shoulder and he is enquiring,

"Something is very wrong isn't it, Tsuzuki?"

There is now no point in lying and, as numbly as he is able, he responds,

"Hisoka has been re-assigned."

"When?" There is shock clear in the other's voice and it eases him a little to hear it, to know that someone other than himself has been unsettled by this matter.

"I don't know when the choice was made but he told me about it about five minutes ago."

"You mean that Bon's agreed to it?"

"Of course."

"Look at me, Tsu." There is concern clear now in the other's voice and, as he complies with the command, he can also see that emotion in the scientist's eyes. "You genuinely believe that he wanted this, that he is happier now that is not here at your side?"

"Is that such a foolish thing to believe, Watari? What is there now to me other than scars and darkness? I can not be for him as I was, can not offer him the strength he so desperately needs." As he speaks these words he can feel himself accepting the truths within them…can feel his heart grow all the heavier for this acceptance.

"Who have they partnered him with?" The Scientist enquires after a moment of silence,

"Kakyouin Tsubaki-san."

Understanding blooms in the scientists eyes and, quite without prompt, he falls into laughter. Once he gains control of himself he enquires,

"Would you be saying such a thing to me if they had sent him on an assignment with Tatsumi-san or myself?"

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T: It's a deliberate cliff-hanger, if anyone's curious, put in to keep you reading and no that question won't be answered in the next chapter. Talking of which there's going to be the teeniest of delays while I get myself back in a comfortable place buffer wise so you'll not be seeing said chapter until Tuesday. (I apologise greatly for that fact!!) Review??


	5. Ache

5. Ache.

T: A day later than anticipated and I totally apologise for that…basically I was no where near a computer all day yesterday! Warnings and disclaimer remain the same.

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After a brief flurry of research that had learned that Takashi Seiko lived in Kyoto, knowledge that had prompted Tsubaki to at last question whether it was wise for him to accompany her. Though it'd been unfair to do as such, though they had, the both of them, agreed to let the matter go, he'd responded to this enquiry by pressuring her again on the matter of her loyalty.

Disappointment had flared hard in her hear and, her face freezing into a disconcerting neutrality, she'd informed him, "I've just got to go and get my bag and then we can go," before she'd left the room.

Four minutes later they were squashed together on the seat of a train, the tension between them enough so that their fellow passengers had begun to edge away from them as best as they were able.

Though this is not the ideal location to do as such, he knows that he has to 'make things right' again between them and, pressing all the closer to her, he says,

"I'm sorry, Tsubaki, I let my discomfort and my anger get the better of me." She gives no verbal acceptance of this apology but her mood, as well as the atmosphere about them, settles into something more welcoming than it had been previously.

Thus relieved of the strain of separating himself from her more negative emotions, his mind begins to wonder and, all but inevitably, settles onto the matter of his 'former partner'.

He knows that such thoughts can lead in only one direction and, in order to distract himself, he enquires,

"What 'unique skill' do you lay claim to then?"

Clearly having been lost in her own thoughts it takes a moment for Tsubaki to register the question and then, a frown creasing her face, she enquires,

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier when you were briefing me on this case you talked of 'our' abilities. I was simply curious as to what your 'gift' might be."

"I'm empathic, but not in the same manner as yourself. My 'gift' allows me to 'pick up' the powers of those that I've been in contact with for an extended period of time and has proven to be somewhat of a stone about my neck. For, at the very beginning of my time as a Shinigami, I gained respect and prestige simply for the sake of my powers and, on occasion, I can not help but feel that that is still the case."

"The fact that I did not know the nature of your ability should be proof enough that isn't the case, don't you think?"

A smile blooms onto her face and, pulling him into a gentle hug, she responds,

"You are right, of course. Thank you, Hisoka."

The scent of her skin, the warmth of her body and the deeper edges of her emotions are things that he recalls all too well; things that set his mind back to a time when his one driving motive had been vengeance and his greatest fear had been his own weakness.

The touch also recalls to him the last he had held Tsubaki, the crimson of her blood upon his fingers, the peaceful smile on her lips and the confidence that'd been there in both her eyes and her emotions as she'd spoken her final words.

"_Please don't be sad, Hisoka. You have someone with you who'll protect you…grow with you…understand you…forgive you and love you__…right at your side…"_

At the time the words had seemed foolish things to him, how could anyone love one such as himself, after all, yet now…

"Tsubaki, the one you talked of as you died…the one who would love me…who were you talking of?" He enquires as he breaks himself free of her hold.

There is the briefest flash of disappointment in her heart, the emotion quickly pushed aside by a stronger sense of confusion and dark amusement.

"You should already know the answer to that question, Hisoka."

"I know what you believe the answer to be, and I know also how very wrong you are in the belief."

Without warning her hands are upon his face and he is being swamped with a concern that bubbles forth the faintest memories of how his mother had been before his powers had appeared and his world had fallen apart.

"I don't know why you believe such a thing, Hisoka, but I can assure you that you are wrong…that he cares for you deeply and truly." Despite the conviction in her voice, eyes and heart he can not believe her. Can not allow himself to embrace again the foolish hope that Tsuzuki feels anything for him, not when he can recall still how distant the other had been the last that they had 'talked' and how much that distance had hurt him.

Thus, catching Tsubaki's hands into his own, he smiles an empty smile and enquires,

"Let's forget this, shall we?"

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T: Tsubaki's last words here are taken from the manga rather than the anime and twiddled with just slightly to make them flow slightly better. Next chapter Friday, until then how about a review?


	6. Progress

6. Progress.

T: Warnings and disclaimer remain the same.

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"How did you say that you knew Miya again?" There is a predictable force of suspicion behind the enquiry and, carefully projecting forward and aura of trustworthiness and geniality, he responds,

"We lived just up the road from her and she'd always take time to stop and talk if our paths crossed."

Takashi-san's emotions tense and then close in completely, a sensation that he has experienced only once before and that he, thus, associates with all consuming grief.

"She always had time for everyone…it what made her who she was." He remarks as he glances up and of out of the window to his right.

Tsubaki moves from her position at his side and, settling herself down at Takashi-san's side, she says,

"'Niisan and I are certain that someone knows something about the person who did this to her and so we're picking everyone's brains in the hopes of finding that information and getting her justice she deserves."

There is a moment of uncertain silence and then, his gaze moving to catch Tsubaki's, Takashi-san says,

"I rang her a few minutes before the police say that the attack happened. She was out shopping with a few of her old school friends and was in an exceptionally good mood because she'd just nabbed herself a bargain. We talked for a little while about inane things and then I arranged to meet her that evening for a meal and a 'surprise'. She spent a few minutes trying to get the nature of the 'surprise' from me and then rung off in order that she could tell her mother about the change in plans. About an hour later the police called me and asked if I'd come to identify her body."

"What was your 'surprise'?" Tsubaki enquires, something in the press of her voice prompting Takashi-san to respond, "A proposal of marriage," without hesitation.

"Had she changed anything in her routine in the weeks before her death, or mentioned anything to you that seemed odd in any way?" He enquires after a moment.

"About a month before the attack she joined an art class. She'd always wanted to do something expressive and so it was of little surprise to me when she'd told me that she'd done as such. What was strange was that she asked me to keep the matter from her mother, they'd never had any secrets between them before, you see. Miya told me that she wanted to make sure she was going to stick by the choice before letting her mother know. _"There's no point in getting her all 'fired up' over nothing, pet"_ were her exact words.

"She wouldn't happen to have mentioned where these art classes were being held, would she?" He enquires.

"If you give me a moment I'll take you to the place myself." Takashi-san remarks as he gains his feet.

……………………………………………………………………………..

"Would you be saying such a thing to me if he'd been sent on an assignment with Tatsumi-san or myself?"

He little understands why Watari is asking him what seems to be a completely random question, or why the other is fighting still the urge to laugh. However, he knows that the other will not explain these things no matter how much he presses and so he turns his mind towards the contemplation of an answer to the scientist's enquiry.

After a few minutes of such 'deep thoughts' he responds,

"No, I do not think that I would."

"And why is that?"

"Because Kakyouin-san can be so much more to Hisoka than Tatsumi-san or yourself….because she has experienced a torture so very akin to the one he experienced as to make no difference and thus she is able to know him in a way that I've only ever dreamed of." Taking a deep breath he runs his fingers through his hair and says, "Because I love him so very much and wish him only ever to think of me."

There is a moment of silence as he takes in what he has just said and then he remarks,

"I've been such a fool, Watari."

"How so?"

"I allowed myself to believe that he wished to leave me, that he was being cold because he held me in the lowest of regard."

"Whereas he was most likely being cold because he was frightened and had no want for you to realise that fact…because Bon has always his pride to protect."

"In other words I've pushed him from me without cause, allowed my foolish jealousy to threaten the loss of even the simple comfort of his friendship."

"I'm certain that Bon's already figured out that there was something off in your manner…that you were not quite yourself somehow."

"Yet if his insecurity gets the better of him…" Springing to his feat, he remarks, "I've got to go and talk to him."

"As true as that might be, Tsu, you know as well I do that your not well enough to be out of bed for more than a half hour left alone the days it might take you to find Bon."

The faint twinge of pain that'd followed his sudden movement is a physical proof of the truth of the Scientist's words and, slumping back to the floor, he enquires,

"Of course you are right, but what am I meant to do?"

"Get your feelings written down and I'll deliver them to him."

"Sank you, Watari." He remarks as he glomps onto the scientist's middle.

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T: Next chapter Tuesday at the latest. Review??


	7. Paint

7. Paint.

T: Warnings and the disclaimer remain the same.

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The building that Takashi-san pulls in front of is of a one floored traditional style that is eerily reminiscent of his family home in Kamakura. The negative feeling this link instils within him makes it impossible to determine whether the faint edge of sorrow that he feels at the edge of his awareness is real or imagined.

Thus he can not think of a plausible reason to object when Takashi-an informs them,

"I wish to come in with you."

Tsubaki flashes him an inquisitive glance as they step out of the car and he makes a shrugging gesture to indicate his current state of uncertainty.

A slender child of no more than eight years of age opens the door and, smiling widely, he says, "You've come to talk to mama," before his face darkens and he informs them, "You won't like what she has to say."

"We shall see her none the less," Takashi-san remarks as he presses his way past the child.

He can feel Tsubaki's shame and, catching her about the arm, he informs her,

"You may save your apologies, for it's little more than an illusion." Her mouth sets into a thin line and, breaking his hold, she responds,

"Takashi-san was not to have known that and it's still no excuse for poor manners," before bowing to the child and remarking, "Forgive his abrupt manner." The child shakes his head and, stretching out a hand, enquires,

"Shall we go to mama now?" Taking the outstretched hand Tsubaki responds,

"I would like that, very much." And, a smile again on his lips, the child pulls her over the threshold of the house and towards his 'mama'.

He follows on Tsubaki's heals and, in a matter of moments, they come into the presence of not only the 'lady of the house', but also the missing member of their party.

The woman that they have come to see is propped up in a heavily padded bed, the general condition of her appearance, as well as the faint, stagnant, aroma lingering in the air, as clear indication that she has been in this state for a substantial length of time.

As the child guides Tsubaki to the woman's side and both he and his partner settle into a kneeling position on the floor, he stretches his empathy out towards the other.

She feels cold, lonely, desperate, frightened and so very familiar. He attempts to push deeper in the hopes of finding out why he feels as such but is blocked by mental walls much stronger than one in her condition should be able to manifest.

"This young man tells me that you've come to talk to me about one of my students." The woman remarks as he gestures towards Takashi-san's kneeling form.

"That's correct." He responds, "Her name was Tanaki Miya and she started attending your classes a month ago."

"I recall the girl well." She responds, "She had a good eye for perspective and a very beautiful heart."

"She is dead." Takashi-san remarks, his voice and his emotive state still unhealthily neutral.

"That is, of course, saddening news and yet I little understand why you have come to inform me of it personally." Their hostess responds, the faintest tendril of curiosity drifting from her like a fine smoke.

"In talking to Takashi-san and to Tanaki-san's mother it has become clear that the only uncertain element within Tanaki-san's life was her enrolment into your class." Tsubaki remarks, before informing the other, "We had hoped that either this building or your own self might hold some vital clue which would provide us with the identity of Tanaki-san's killer."

"Then I am afraid that I shall have to disappoint you." The woman responds, before informing them, "One of the conditions of enrolment into the course is that the girls learn to leave their personal lives outside of the building. Thus I can tell you nothing of that girl other than the little I learned about her artistic skills and I fear that that is all you would learn from searching the building."

"I see." The words are edged in the strong sense of disappointment he feels for having reached what seems to be a dead end in the investigation and, bowing low he responds, "Forgive us for this waist of your time…" he trails as he realises that the other has not given her name and, clearly understanding the reason behind the pause, their hostess bows as much as her condition will allow and says,

"Forgive the belated introduction, I am Sakuraiji Uyoko."

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T: Dun dun dunnnnnn! Expect the next chapter Friday at the latest! Review??


	8. Words

8. Words.

T: Warnings and disclaimer remain the same.

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"'Nii-san, Takashi-san, would you mind giving us a moment alone?" Tsubaki's tone is a forced politeness that, along with the sudden shadowing of her emotions, makes him uneasy and yet, in order to retain their cover, he can not press her on these facts and is forced to respond by informing her, "I'll be close by if you need me," before gaining his feet and leaving the room.

Takashi-san follows on his heals but a moment later, displeasure marked clear on his face and suspicion leaking it way through the fierce numbness of his grief.

"What was that about?"

"I think she feels that Sakuraiji feels a little stifled by our presence and that she might, therefore, be subconsciously keeping something from us."

"Something she would share with your sister once they were alone?"

"It seems rational enough, don't you think?"

"I suppose that it does." He responds as both his expression, and his emotions, settle back into their 'resting' state.

He is about to strike up some inane conversation in order to distract Takashi-san's mind from the oddity of Tsubaki's behaviour when his eye catches the form of Sakuraiji's 'child' over the other's shoulder.

The instant that his attention fixes to the child he makes a beckoning gesture with one hand while pressing the first finger of the other hand to his lips in a clear gesture for silence. Subtly nodding his head he informs Takashi-san, "I think I will just go and get a little fresh air…it was a little too close in that room for my taste," before making a exaggerated play of heading for the house's exit. Once out of Takashi-san's line of sight he shifts into his spiritual form and turns back on himself.

Once he is again within sight of the child the boy repeats the beckoning gesture and begins to make his way, very slowly, through the house. Following on the child's heals he is lead through room after room filled with half painted canvases and completed works of art, the odd empty space and finally a large garden that is as traditional in it's layout as the building that surrounds it.

Lingering at the edge of the garden the child points to a small patch of barren earth and remarks,

"That's where my body is."

He feels his blood run cold and yet still he enquires,

"What do you mean by that?"

"My body died before I was born, just like 'nii-san's which made mama very sad. Papa hates for mama to be sad and so he worked very hard and found a way for my soul and 'nii-san's to live without our bodies."

"Who is your papa?"

"Muraki Kazutaka."

……………………………………………………………………………….

"You would be Kakyouin Tsubaki and the boy is Kurosaki Hisoka?" The woman's lips quirk into a mocking smile and, running a shaking hand through her hair, she enquires, "Did you think that he would not tell me of you, that he could love and trust me as he does and yet still keep a part of himself from me?"

"You know everything then."

"From his crazed obsession with his step brother to the sakura drenched night he shared with that boy."

"Then how…"

"Can I forgive him? You of all people should know the answer to that question."

Feeling suddenly nauseous she scrabbles for a manner to turn the conversation away from this manner and back under her control. After a what seems a lifetime of failed attempts to do just that an idea settles into her mind and, calm blooming again within her heart, she enquires,

"Would he have anything to do with Tanaka-san's death?"

………………………………………………………………………………..

The ink flows like water from his pen and, for a brief yet beautiful moment it seems as though he has finally cracked it. Then, oh so predictably, an uncertainty begins to twist at the back of his mind and, but a moment later, his pen has once again come to a halt. He attempts to start the flow again, to lose himself in the words he has begun to etch into the page and yet the effort proves futile.

Irrational anger flaring in his mind he scratches his pen across the page and, tearing the thing from its restraint, screws it into the tiniest of balls. "It's useless," he remarks as he throws this ball in the general direction of the bin. "And if you tell me to 'preserver' one more time, Watari, I may just be moved to violence."

The scientist places his hands in front of him in a clearly defensive gesture and informs him,

"I actually have a sensible suggestion if you're willing to hear me out."

"Yes?"

"Why don't you try recording the message?"

"You mean with a video camera?"

"Or a Dictaphone if you'd prefer…basically I thought that perhaps it'd be a little more personal that way and that maybe you'd find the words you're after with a little more ease."

"You know that actually makes a great deal of sense."

"Don't sound so surprised when you say that!" The scientist remarks as he wraps his arms about himself and pouts dramatically. "See if I let you have any of the lovely chocolate torte that was in the break room today."

"I'm sorry, Watari, you know I'm always putting my foot in it, right? You wouldn't keep a guy from chocolate torte just because he'd been a bit of an idiot, would you?" He enquires as he switches on the 'kicked puppy' look.

The scientist remains firm for precisely two minutes and then, crumbling like a wet paper cup, passes him a chunky slice of what seems to be a dark chocolate torte.

"'wuv you!" He informs the scientist before digging into the treat.

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T: Next chapter Tue. Review?


	9. Ties

9. Ties.

T: Apologies for the slightly later than expected update…Christmas shopping got the better of me I fear! Warnings and disclaimer remain the same.

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"Would he have anything to do with Tanaka-san's death?"

"No." Her smile fading and her posture slumping back into something almost foetal, she says, "He knows how much I value the girls…how precious they have become to me and so it is unthinkable that he'd even hurt them let alone…"

"Do such a thing as that?" The sudden subtle tightening of the skin abut the other's eyes is all the prompt she needs to push further and, confidence settling once more into her heart, she enquires, "To say such a thing you must know of the details of –Tanaka-san's death and yet you lead us to believe that was not the case. Why would you do such a thing if you truly believed, in your heart of hearts, that he was in no way involved in her death?"

"Because I truly knew nothing of Tanaka-san's death, however…"

"However?"

"I recently read of the murders of two other girls from my course…the person covering the case gave many details of the oddities surround their deaths and even went so far as to suggest that not only were the murders linked in some manner or another, but also that it was more than likely that the killer had claimed other victims. As the girls had nothing in common other than this course it was logical to assume that, if there had indeed been more victims, they would also have been one of my students. Therefore…"

"Therefore knowing that Tanaka-san had been killed in a strange manner was little more than an educated guess on your part."

"That is correct."

"Would you have a look at this list of names of me?" She enquires as she pulls a folded piece of paper from her coat pocket and passes it into the other's care. After a moment she enquires, "Do you know all of these girls?"

"Yes. Each of them had enrolled in this course within the last four months."

"I had thought that that would prove the case." She remarks as she claims back the slip of paper. "Sakuraiji-san, I am, as you say, the one person in this world who would understand why it is that you are able to trust and to love Muraki even knowing what he is…however…"

"You wish to ask me if I am completely certain of his innocence? To ask if, even knowing that each of the girls on that list is dead, that all they have to tie them together is this place, I can still be assured of such a thing?."

"That is correct."

"He is not a part of this for I know, beyond any doubt, that he would rather die than cause me even the slightest of grief…indeed I have come so very close to having that fact proven to me."

"If not him then who, Sakuraiji-san? Someone with grudge enough against your students to take so drastic an action as murder could not have completely escaped your notice."

"I can think of only one suspect, but she could not have committed these crimes."

"Because?"

"Because she committed suicide five months ago."

"I think, perhaps, I should here a few more details about that matter…"

………………………………………………………………………………..

The odd, blurry, emotions that are flowing from Tsubaki as she eventually exits Sakuraiji's room echoes his mixed mental state and the desire to talk to her, to discuss no only what she has learned from Sakuraiji-san, but also of what the 'child' had revealed to him, intensifies in his heart.

"I am sorry if I seemed a little abrupt earlier…I had hoped that perhaps, if we were alone…"

"You were trying to help, Tenko-san and thus there is no need for an apology." Takashi-san responds as a gentle smile blooms onto his lips.

"Yet even this I was unable to learn anything new…was unable to shed light onto the matter of Tanaka-san's death."

"Perhaps it is better left that way…perhaps it is better that the matter is left alone and Mira's spirit is allowed to rest." The words have clearly been spoken for Takashi-san's sake as well as their own for, but and instant after they have left his lips, the faintest of 'lights' permeates the cloud of his grief. "Would you allow me to give your brother and yourself a lift back to the station, Tenko-san?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Takashi-san."

"I think that it is I who should be giving the thanks, Tenko-san…for at last I begin to feel that I might be able to live my life without Mira."

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T: Next chapter Sunday at the latest. Review?


	10. Suspicion

10. Suspicion.

T: Warnings and disclaimers remain the same.

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"That woman, she is the one you told me of all those long years ago, isn't she?"

"The woman that Muraki one day plans to wed, yes," she responds as her eyes drift to gaze at the view visible out of his hotel room window.

Her emotions have tightened even further as she has spoken those words and, aware that he is venturing again into 'dangerous ground' he enquires,

"Why were you so very insistent on being alone with her?"

"Because I wanted to learn about who she was…about the sort of woman he wanted in his life. I did not get to learn such a thing, not directly in any case…"trailing she laughs a derisive laugh and, running angry fingers through her hair, she says, "Before I could say anything to her she gained the 'upper hand' by informing me that she knew who I was, who you were and, most importantly who her fiancé was. For a moment the thought that he could trust another so completely, that he was capable of such care and yet had treated me in the manner that he had, threw me and then…then a firm sort of clarity came over me and I asked her if her fiancé was a part of this."

"Yet why ask her such a question when you knew what her answer was to be?"

"It was a 'gut instinct', one that led in a very interesting direction."

"Meaning what, precisely?"

"Meaning that I've found the common thread in the lives of our murder victims."

"That 'thread' being the art course?"

"Correct."

"Then it seems that the initial hypothesis was correct and that Muraki is indeed our killer."

"I am afraid not." Her eyes fixing again onto his own, she informs him, "There is no possible way that Muraki is part of this."

"Has she provided you with some evidence to bring you to such a conclusion…perhaps provided him with an alibi?"

"All that she has done is look me in the eye and tell me that it is so."

"And you trust her."

"It sounds foolish, I know, and even I would put it down to my heart influencing my mind, however, she said something that stuck with me, something that has made me convinced that she is telling me the truth."

"And that something was?"

"'I know, beyond any doubt, that he would rather die than cause me even the slightest of grief…indeed I have come so very close to having that fact proven to me.'"

The moment the words have left her mouth a memory flashes in his mind, a memory of something Tsuzuki had said to him a month after the fires of Kyoto…

_He is making a show of reading the book propped against his knees and yet, in reality, a great proportion of his attention is fixated onto the monitoring of the emotional state of his neighbour._

_So lost has he become in this task that when the other remarks, "You know, he said something very strange during that time," that it takes him a moment to inform the other,_

"_You've started your sentence mid way through again."_

"_I guess I did." The other responds as he rubs a thickly bandaged hand against the back of his head. "What I was trying to say was that, as he lay on the floor before me, the blood draining from his body, he said a very strange thing."_

_At this point in time 'he' can refer to only one individual and, feeling suddenly tense and uncertain of himself, he enquires,_

"_What was this 'strange thing'?"_

"'_I am sorry…it seems that there is no way to keep my promise…that, even this choice shall inconvenience you somehow…'"_

At the time he'd dismissed the words as little more than the incoherent mumblings of one suffering from extreme blood loss and yet now…now it was clear that the words had been entirely coherent, that even one such as Muraki was capable of selfless thought.

"Hisoka, is everything alright?" Tsubaki enquires as she slides forewords in her seat and sets her hands to his knees. The contact fills him with the warm press of emotions he has come to associate with the bond of friendship and, pushing away the darker thoughts clouding his mind, he responds.

"Everything is fine."

She retains the contact between them for a few moments after this then, assured that he is telling at least some form of truth, she says,

"My conversation with Sakuraiji-san has also given us a new trail to follow, though I am not yet certain of what we shall learn while doing as such."

Leaning down to open her handbag she pulls out a thin folder and, passing it into his care, says, "Sakuraiji-san named this individual as the only likely suspect in this case. Thus, though she also informed me that it was impossible for her to be involved, I decided to go and get her file."

The file contains; a single photo of a pale, thin, girl with lank, shoulder length blond hair. A memo written in Tatsumi's elegant hand which states 'Inou Mia was Anna Richards before 'cultural pressures' led to her mother changing her name.' Finally there is an account written, once more in Tatsumi's hand, detailing an 'incident' where Inou-san's candle had behaved in an 'unusual manner.'

"What is it about Inou-san that makes her such a certain suspect and why, if she is assured of her guilt, did Sakuraiji-san name it 'impossible' for her to be involved?"

"According to Sakuraiji-san she enrolled into the art course six months ago and it swiftly became apparent that Inou-san was 'not what she had claimed to be'. Sakuraiji-san asked her to leave and for the next month Inou-san made a nonsense of herself by loitering outside the house, writing to Sakuraiji-san each and every day begging to be allowed a second chance and, perhaps most telling of all, threatening the lives of each of the girls on our list. After the end of that month Inou-san vanished and Sakuraiji-san was made to believe that she had died."

"What convinced her of such a thing?"

"This."

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T: Next chapter wed at the latest. Review?


	11. Revelations

11. Revelations.

T: A few hours late due a change in my rota, but I'm sure you'll forgive that fact! Warnings and disclaimers remain the same.

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"Why would Sakuraiji-san believe her dead when that is clearly not the case?"

"Because she saw this," Tsubaki remarks as he passes him a cutting from the front page of a 'well respected' newspaper.

The cutting is dated from precisely five months previous and details the discovery of a young woman's body. It was a 'run of the mill' thing which had gained the front page not because the victim had committed suicide, but rather because the victim's body had disappeared a few hours after its discovery. Further investigation had lead the detectives covering the matter to believe that the body had been taken in order that its organs might be sold to the black market, a theory that the article had substantiated with a string of fairly ropy facts and figures.

"Inou-san's apparent death and the strange behaviour of her candle occurred within precisely the same time frame and thus I believe it is safe to assume that she 'suspended' her life just as Muraki did during the time on the Queen Camellia."

"In other words she lays claim to an exceptionally strong spiritual power."

"A power that is most likely the 'weapon' she wields in order to remove her victims organs without leaving a mark on them."

"Which means that we have only two questions left to answer in order to bring this case to a close; for what purpose is she removing those organs and why have the souls not arrived at the Mefu?"

"I believe we shall find the answer for both of those questions, along with the woman herself, in Shinjuku."

………………………………………………………………………………….

"_It seemed strange to me that she would stop so very suddenly and so, with a little help, I looked into the matter. What I learned was that she had been found, strung up by her neck, in her apartment in Shinjuku, with a piece of paper pinned to the front of her dress. Written on that piece of paper had been the kanji for my name and the words 'forgive me' written out in English. Clearly she had killed herself because she had finally understood the impact of her actions and had become consumed by the guilt of that revelation."_

"_You are certain that it was her body that was found?"_

"_Beyond any doubt."_

The warmth of the water as it cascades over her skin is slowly melting away the many unnecessary thoughts crammed into her head and focusing her mind towards one clear question.

'Was Inou-san truly dead?'

Of course there was only one way to know the answer to that question beyond doubt and thus, once she has dried herself and has gotten dressed, she teleports to the Mefu.

It takes a matter of moments to gain firstly the permission required to access the file, then to find the file among the millions that crowd the record halls and finally to read her way through the information inside.

Once she has learned all that she needs to learn she places the file into her handbag and makes her way to the infirmary.

The man she has come to see is sat on the floor of the infirmary, his back pressed to the foot of his bed and the entirety of his attention fixed onto the lens of a small video camera. She comes to his side and, clearing her throat in order to gain his attention, she enquires,

"Can I help at all?"

His back tenses and, clear restraint in his voice, he responds,

"No, thank you,"

It is a coldness that she had expected and, bending down towards the other, she says,

"We need to talk."

He turns at last to fact her and, a pleasant smile all but etched onto his lips, he enquires,

"What would you like to discuss?"

"Let us start with you foolish envy and go from there, shall we?"

The smile on his lips gutters and, showing her at last a 'true face', he enquires,

"What if I have no wish to talk to you of that matter?"

"Then you will most certainly lose him, Tsuzuki-san."

"If you have come here to simply threaten me then I would ask you to leave."

"I am afraid that that was not a threat, Tsuzuki-san, but rather the raw truth. He has begun to close his mind away from all thought of you and unless you allow me to understand why…allow me to understand what foolish thing you've said to hurt him so…you will loose him altogether."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why were you so very hard in him in the first place?"

The other regards her for the longest of times and then, the barest him of a smile on his lips, he responds,

"I will tell you what you wish to hear."

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T: Next chapter up on Sunday. Review?


	12. Cover

12. Cover.

T: Warnings and disclaimers remain the same.

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"Kansi Sayuri?" The enquiry comes from a well dressed woman in her mid forties who had, until but a brief moment previous, been stood in a contended manner against the wall to their right.

Her lips twisting into a disarming smile Tsubaki bows low before responding,

"That is correct and you must be Onitsuka-san."

"Correct. If you would just like to follow me…"

"_There are only two reasons why complete strangers will trust you with enough to gossip about someone they have known well. I do not think that we shall get far attempting to convince anyone that we wield any sort of power so there is only the one option remaining to us."_

"_Which is?"_

"_To convince them that we are from a wealthy family, a task that neither one of us should have a hard time achieving."_

"_There is something more to this plan, isn't there, some form of 'in' which will explain our supposedly random choice to visit the apartment complex?"_

"_That is correct. An apartment has just come up for sell on the floor that Inou-san used to live on and, posing as a wealthy heiress looking to 'get a foot on the property ladder', I phone the agency handling the sell and booked us a viewing."_

Tsubaki had, on the short train journey to the High rises in Shinjuku, padded out the back story of their assumed personas, taking deliberate care to assure that he had memorised the random collection of dates and incidents with unerring accuracy. It was a forethought that was already proving worthwhile for, on the journey to the apartment, Onitsuka-san begins to ask random questions about their personal life in an apparent bid to 'create a friendly atmosphere.'

The apartment is fairly spacious and fitted out with all the necessary mod cons. Onitsuka-san deliberately up sells every positive aspect of the space and Tsubaki responds to each pitch with an increasing force of interest.

Once confident that the sell is hers Onitsuka-san sums up the space in a few short words and then enquires,

"Have you anything that you wish to ask me?"

It is, of course, the opportunity they have been waiting for and, in an absent sort of a manner, Tsubaki enquires,

"Was there anything we wanted to ask Onitsuka-san, Kenji-kun?"

"We wanted to ask her about how that terrible thing affected the atmosphere." He responds. A bright, air headed, smile on her lips Tsubaki says, "Yes, that was it," before enquiring, "How did the residents react to the suicide, Onitsuka-san?"

"The girl that died, Inou-san, had lived in that apartment for many years and so they reacted with an intense sort of grief, indeed there had been talk of turning the apartment into a shrine before the 'public opinion' changed."

"Meaning what, precisely?"

"Just over four months ago an American came to view the apartment in which Inou-san had died. She was showy in the loud, brash, manner typical of that nationality and yet the moment the residents were introduced to her they fell in love. Unsurprising but a little after that the American took the apartment and she has now become so much a part of the 'community' of this floor that it seems a little strange to think that there was a time when she was not here."

Tsubaki catches his eye and twisting his mouth into the superior smile he recalls always on his father's lips he remarks,

"You've most likely guessed that 'Nee-san and I are slightly uncertain about moving so close to the place where such a thing happened…if we could just talk to the American…"he trails and after leaving a deliberately exaggerated pause, he enquires, "Do you think such a thing might be possible?"

"Give me a moment." Onitsuka-san remarks before bowing politely and then exiting the apartment.

"Do you think this American is Inou-san?" Tsubaki enquires once she is certain the other is gone.

"It seems highly likely and yet, if that is the case why have none of the residents realised this fact?"

"There are two answers to that question. The first is that their minds are simply unable to cope with the reality of what they are seeing and have thus denied it. The second…"trailing she places a hand into her back pocket and, pulling free some unknown object, passes it into her care.

The object proves to be a high quality photo of an attractive girl in her early thirties who bares the unique appearance of a child born of a mixed race marriage.

"Sakuraiji-san gave me with along with that article and informed me that it was a photo of Inou-san."

"Yet the photo in her file…"

"Was clearly that of an American, an oddity that had been bothered me until now." Tsubaki responds.

"She altered her appearance."

"Most likely at the same time as she changed her name."

But a moment after Tsubaki has stated this theory Onitsuka-san steps back into the room.

"Miss Richards will gladly spare you a few moments of her time." She remarks as she gestures for them to follow her.

As they close towards the apartment his empathy gutters and then snuffs out completely, the disconcertion this sensation ripples through his body something that takes a great deal of effort to keep from showing on both his face and his general manner.

Onitsuka-san knocks on the door and, but a moment later, the familiar blond hair and blue eyes of one Anna Richards, comes to the door.

She smiles brightly at the both of them and informing, Onitsuka-san, "I'll take good care of them Onitsuka-kun, no worries!" ushers them into her apartment.

Once the door is closed and the sound of Onitsuka-san's footsteps becomes faint she winks playfully and remarks,

"You'll have to let me know if I do something wrong, this is the very first time I've entertained Shinigami, after all."

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T: Next chapter on Tue. Review?


	13. Motive

13. Motive.

T: There is a cliff-hanger at the end of this chapter that kind of snuck itself in when I decided I disliked the chapter ending I'd originally created and re-wrote things! Other that this warnings and disclaimers remain the same.

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"You look so surprised, however, if you've managed to come this far then you should know of the power I claim and what that means." Anna remarks, a bright, care free, smile still clear on her lips. "I'm certain that you've many questions that you want to ask and I'll gladly answer them once we've had a formal introduction."

"Kakyouin Tsubaki."

"Kurosaki Hisoka."

"And I am Anna Richards, formally Inou Mia." She responds as she dips into a dramatic, overly formal, bow. "Now what would you like to know first?"

"How could you do such a thing to those…?"

"I would advise you not to finish that sentence Kakyouin Tsubaki, for those girls are in no way 'innocent' in this matter." Her tone has become dangerous and all hints of her previously sunny disposition have faded away, "But of course we've no time to debate such things…you wish to know why they died. The answer is all about you." Smile again on her lips she opens her arms out in a wide, expansive, gesture.

Hung in each available space are canvases filled with a varying array of artistic styles and mediums.

"My mother and father separated when I was but a child…mama moved here to Japan while my father remained in America. As a clearly pure blooded American my life in this country was little more than a nightmare until the day that I found art. Looking at the works of the great masters I felt a solid sort of clarity fall onto my mind and suddenly I understood the purpose of my existence. Changing my name and my appearance I began a new life as an aspiring art student, a life course I excelled in and that brought me eventually to Sakuraiji-san's course. The day that I stepped into that house was the day that I finally found myself, that all that I had wanted for my life came within reach and then…" Hands clasping hard at her sides her face becomes a wild, dangerous thing and, her voice as acid, she says, "Sakuraiji-san learned of who I was truly and asked that I leave her course" She pauses for a long moment, her face relaxing back into its relaxed state and her manner claming considerably. Then, her voice again calm and unsettlingly cheerful she says, "It was something that I could not so easily accept and so I began to watch her in the hopes of understanding why she had done such a thing…in the hope that just maybe I could find a way back into that world. It was a hope that was so very quickly destroyed for in watching her…in learning all that there was to learn of that house and the secrets buried within it…I began to understand that, in truth, there had been no cause for my expulsion, that I had been let go simply because Sakuraiji-san did not care for me as she cared for the others. Once I understood that I understood also what had to be done…understood that there was but one way for me to realise my destiny." A smug little smile on her lips she begins to parade the room.

"Kimachi Yurin who could depict landscapes like no other and who Sakuraiji-san praised always for her mind. Tomachi Kazuki who painted portraits so realistic that you could almost believe the subject there before your eye, a gift Sakuraiji-san linked always to her 'sub human' eyesight. Tanaki Miya who had an eye for detail and a 'beautiful heart'..." She continues to recite names as she moves about the space and, with each announcement, she turns a pieced of artwork over to reveal a macabre depiction of how the individual in question had died.

"To begin with I was taking things that had made them Sakuraiji-san's perfect students…that had earned them her care…as well as the thing that made them who they were, but then I decided that such a thing was not necessary in order to achieve the outcome that I desired." She remarks once the showcase has come to its conclusion, her manner and her expression fixed still in an intense cheerfulness.

"What was your 'desired outcome', Miss Richards?" Tsubaki enquires.

"To make Sakuraiji-san suffer for the pain she had caused me…to show her what it was to suffer as I had."

"Why would you need to become again Anna Richards in order to achieve such an end?" He enquires.

"Because, eventually, the police would figure out the connection between the girls, would go to Sakuraiji-san and ask her if she could think of one who would do such a thing. With Inou Mia dead she would have no ready suspect and the police would begin to look further into the matter, would learn all there was to learn of that place and of the one that names himself its master."

"You were going to frame Muraki for your crimes." He remarks, the faintest hint of respect leaking into his voice despite himself.

"No man deserved such a thing more than he and yet still she holds him highest in her regard, forgives him the terrible deeds he has done in order to allow those abominations that she calls children to live."

He had, on the journey back to the hotel, informed Tsubaki of the matter of the illusionary children, his voice dipped low in order to keep Takashi-san out of the matter. Despite this his partner flinches just slightly at the mention of the 'creatures' and, her smile become dangerous once more, Anna enquires,

"Is there perhaps a connection between yourself and that man?"

"That is none of your concern."

"My, my, such venom for such an innocent question." Anna remarks as she begins to walk towards them.

His body tensing and his mind focusing in the anticipation of battle, he pulls his Ofuda free from his pocket. Anna smiles sweetly in his direction and enquires, "Did you truly believe that it would be that simple?" before she gestures with her right hand and the world blanks away.

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T: Next chapter Friday. Review?


	14. Instinct

14. Instinct.

T: Only one more chapter to go and then this bad boy is done! Big huge thanks to all the people who have reviewed and said such nice, nice things (you know who you are!) I'm notching up all the warnings just a little but the disclaimer remains the same!!

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"_Kakyouin-san, can I ask you to do something for me?" The faint smile that had edged his lips as he had talked of the matter between Hisoka and himself has faded into a look of uncertain vulnerability that ceases her heart._

"_Of course, Tsuzuki-san."_

"_Keep him safe…he has a tendency to charge in head first, you see and I'm so very worried that he's going to end out hurting himself." The words spill from him at such a pace that it seems almost as though he fears the briefest of pauses will cause him to stifle them forever. It is a delicate nervousness that deepens the sense of kinship that she feels towards the other and, smiling she says,_

"_I promise that I will watch out for him, Tsuzuki-san…that there is no need for you to worry while I'm at his side."_

She had felt so very certain of herself as she had spoken those words, so positive that she would be able the shelter Hisoka from all harm. Yet as she watches her partner crumple to the floor, his skin ashen and his eyes turned up into the roof of his skull, she feels that confidence drain away.

The one who has done this terrible thing gives Hisoka's recumbent form the barest of glances and then, her attention fixing firmly in her direction, she enquires,

"Would you like to join him, Kakyouin Tsubaki?"

The enquiry, the relaxed almost complacent harmonic in the other's voice, pushes her into action and, her body tingling for the use of a new power, her mouth begins to shape into an unfamiliar incantation.

………………………………………………………………………………….

The very instant that his body stirs into waking he is pushing himself onto his feet, his heart beating fast for the panic caused by the uncertainty of his partner's fate.

"She's resting safely in the bed to your right." The words are spoken in the familiar cadence of Tsuzuki's voice and, turning to his left, he is met with the other's smiling face. Confusion knots itself deep in his heart and, sensing this fact, the other informs him, "She used her gift to tap into my powers and call forth Suzaku, however, she had not been long enough in my company to maintain any sort of a hold on the summoning and things got a little out of hand."

"Meaning Suzaku would not relent and the apartment complex that we were in was placed under threat."

"The unexpected summoning of one of the twelve gods had, thankfully, gained our attention and they were able to stop the matter become a full fledged disaster."

"Then nobody was hurt?"

"Other than the 'intended target', no."

The silence that follows this remark stretches until it become painful and, fingers lifting to toy absently at the edge of the sheet that lays across his legs, he enquires,

"How are you?"

"Bored out of my mind." The other responds, the faint whisper of amusement that accompanies the statement causing the oddest shock of agony to course through him.

"Sorry." The other remarks as his emotional walls fall firmly into place, "Watari warned me that your empathy might be a little hypersensitive when you woke up…something to do with a dampening field and needing to 'reacclimatise' itself…I guess I forgot until now."

The apologetic smile creased deep on the other's face is so very familiar that, before he is quite aware, his lips have opened up to from the word, "Baka."

Surprise registers clear on the other's face a moment before the faintest him of a blush stains at his cheeks and he murmurs, "I've missed you," before his mind catches up with his mouth and his attention skitters away to fix on the wall opposite.

His body still half asleep and his mind weighted with concern for Tsubaki as well as a myriad of unanswered questions, he can not quite grasp a hold of his anger before it takes him.

Thus, in but the blink of an eye, he finds himself pressed flush to the other's bed, his hands knotting into the edges of the cover and enquiring, "Do you mean that or are you saying it because you believe I need to hear the words?" the enquiry sounding harsh even to his own ears.

The other flinches and, as he turns again to face him, there is a hurt buried deep in his eyes. Yet his voice is soft and certain as he replies,

"I am telling you such a thing because it is truth and yet I am not surprised that you do not believe me…not after the last we spoke." Course bandaged fingers ghost over the backs of his hands, the hesitation a potent sign of the divide which has somehow worked its way between them.

Feeling angry, inexplicably lonely, and so very desperate, he does the only thing that makes any sort and raises his hands up to bridge the divide.

But a breath later he is knelt close to the other's side, hands tangled hard into his hair and his lips sealed against the other's in a hungry kiss.

The intimate touch renders the other's emotional walls all but useless and, though his empathy all but screams against the sudden hard borage of alien sensations, he maintains the embrace.

Eventually Tsuzuki places a hand against his torso in a clear gesture to stop and, though it pains him a little to do as such, he complies.

"I love you, so very much, Hisoka and I want this…want you…but…" Tsuzuki trails and smiling he responds, "The timing is a little off, right? Don't worry, Tsu, we've got an eternity to find the 'right moment," as he places a gentle kiss to the other's forehead.

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T: Last chapter up on Sunday. Review?


	15. Conclusion

15. Conclusions.

T: Warnings and disclaimers remain the same.

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"So you've talked to him, have you?" The enquiry is entirely unexpected and, glancing up from his book, he is met with the gentle hazel of Tsubaki's eyes.

"How long have you been awake?" He enquires as he closes the tome, places it to one side and scoots forward slightly on his chair.

"About five minutes which was time enough to catch you smiling a little to yourself and to deduce the cause of that smile."

Her initial enquiry replays through his mind and, skin flushing despite himself, he replies,

"We've sorted through a few issues, yes."

There is a moment of silence and then, feeling uncertain of himself, he enquires,

"What happened after I collapsed?"

"She threatened me and my body reach out for the one defence that it could be sure of…the next I knew Tatsumi-san was bundling me into a vehicle all the while mumbling odd little things under his breath that I'm certain were meant to comfort me. As soon as possible he brought me here, allowed me to assure myself that you were well and then he gave me a stern talking to."

"Then you are in trouble?"

"No, apparently they understand that I only used Tsuzuki's power because there was the direst of needs…also…"

"Also?"

"Do you recall her precise wording when she was talking of harvesting the organs?"

"'I was taking things that had made them Sakuraiji-san's perfect students…that had earned them her care…as well as the thing that made them who they were'"

"The 'thing that made them who they were' was, of course, their soul and yet what use would such thing be to here? Perhaps if she had desired power or youth then the souls could have been of use to her and yet how can such a thing have aided her in her pursuit of vengeance? It makes very little sense until you consider the possibility that she had want to keep some token of her endeavour, irrevocable proof that she could later send to Sakuraiji-san to 'place the final nail in the coffin', so to speak."

"Are you referring to the paintings?"

"She used her power to seal her victim's souls into the canvas and preserved their final moments in a frozen realism that would shake even the soundest of minds."

"Then when the apartment burned down…"

"Their souls moved on at last which was an 'end' to justify my 'means', apparently."

There is a long moment of silence and then, turning onto her back, she enquires,

"Where do we go from here then?"

"We fill out the relevant pieces of paperwork and wait for our next assignment."

"Then you are going to remain on active duty?"

"yes, because though there is much to tempt me back into the life that I had been leading before this case, I have found the greatest of enjoyments in being 'part of the process' once more…have found myself greatly rewarded by the presence of a competent partner at my side."

"And yet you are not my partner, Hisoka, not truly and eventually…"

"Eventually Tsuzuki will be well enough to return to active duty."

"At which point there would cease to be a need for my presence here."

"Perhaps not as my partner and yet…" He trails as a sudden bought of inexplicable shyness claims him and yet, judging by the widening of Tsubaki's smile, she had realised what he was driving towards.

Understood that though there would come a time that they were no longer joined by the bonds of a partnership he would always be a part of her life…that the deep seated friendship that existed now between them was a bond that would never be broken.

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T: Thus we come to the end of this fic. I'm currently quite tempted to do a sort of a sequel if only because I quite fancy the idea of giving Tsubaki a partner all of her own! I make no promises about this yet, it's still just an idea, after all…but should it appear it'll be called 'pull' or something similar.


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